Barbed-wire fence



S. THOMPSON. Barbed Wire Pence.

No. 233,713. Patented Oct. 26, i880.

WITNESSES INVENTOR %?MW wa'wm ATTORNEY.

ATENT SALMON THOMPSON, OF FREMONT TOWNSHIP, BUCHANAN COUNTY, (MASONVILLE P. O., DELAWARE OOUNTY,) IOWA.

BARBED-WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 233,713, dated October 26, 1880.

Application filed December 26, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1. SALMON THOMPSON, of Fremont township, Buchanan county, Iowa, (postotfice address, Masonville, Delaware county, Iowa.) have invented an Improvement in Barbed-Wire Fences, of which the follow-' ing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction of barbed-wire fences; and it consists in the combination, with a t'encewire provided with spurs or nicks on each side of a barb, but not hearing on its faces, of a sheet-metal barb having an angular recess at its lower end, with points lying on opposite sides thereof, and terminating at its upper end in a point, and provided with an orifice of larger diameter than the wire on which it is strung, the orifice for the wire being arranged above the center of gravity of the barb, whereby the barb is loose on the wire and heavier at one end than the other, thereby causing its points to assume an upright position, as hereinafter more fully described.

The figure ot' the drawing shows a perspective view of a wire provided with spurs and my peculiar]y-constructed barb.

In the drawing, which forms a part of my specification, (t represents a wire, provided with spurs b b, nicked or otherwise formed thereon after the barb B has been strung upon the wire. The spurs b are so arranged as to allow the barb to play freely between them,

and at the same time prevent the barb from being moved but a short distance along the wire, so as to retain the barb at its proper position on the wire.

B represents the barb, provided with an angular recess, a, at one end, with points a a lying on opposite sides thereof. The barb is provided with angular edges c,terminating in the point a and an orifice for the passage of the wire larger than the latter, and arranged above the center of gravity of the barb, so that the barb will, in its normal state, assume an upright position, and will, it turned, again assume a vertical position with its points upward and downward, so that cattle will not be pricked by them, excepting when attempting to get through the fence.

What I claim as new is-- The combination, with the fence-wire a, provided with spurs b on each side of a barb, but

not hearing on its faces, of the sheet-metal barb B, having the angular recess a and points a a a, and an orifice of larger diameter than the wire, arranged above the center of gravity of the barb, whereby the barb is loose on the wire, and its weighted ends cause its points to assume an upright position when turned therefrom, substantially as described.

SALMON THOMPSON. Witnesses:

A. KNoWLns, OLIVER SHEPARD. 

